The Long Lost Brother
by M. Castor
Summary: When Mizuki falls asleep, her dreams haunt her. Her past is never too far behind as she finds the brother she could never find just within her reach. Is her pursuit finally over? Read after THE DREAM THAT GOT A BIT PERSONAL.
1. Chapter 1

**Here you go!**

"Again, I'm really sorry about this misunderstanding. I swear I really didn't mean any harm," I apologize one more time to Risa when she comes back from talking to the echidna. "Did you get anything from that guy?"

"I have a name you know!" barks the red echidna.

"Crazy Mutt."

"Hey!" We lock eyes and it feels as if we're shooting flamethrowers at each other with our eyeballs. Risa steps in between us to cool down the tension.

"Knuckles, leave us be," she waves him away with a flick of her hand as if she is queen of the island. He seems to think the same thing, but he reluctantly stomps away, not breaking off our wary eye contact. Sheesh, I wonder what got up his ass. "He said he has no idea where they can be. They have a proclivity to scatter randomly."

"Oh," I mutter disappointedly. "Well thanks for your help anyway." Even if you didn't really do anything to help me.

"You should get-"

"Oh hang on a second or two," I reach into my pocket and take out my family photo. "Have you seen the young boy in this picture? He probably looks just like me by now…but a boy."

"No, I have not. Is he your twin brother?"

"Yeah. I've been looking for him for a long time now." Why am I telling her this anyway? She doesn't care. "Hey, don't I see you sometimes at the Mission Crib? Yeah, I do. You finish them a little faster than I do." Risa shrugs, coolly placing a hand on her hip, downplaying the insane amount of praise I'm dishing out.

"I just focus on finishing them. It is better than staying on this-" she stops herself short. I complete the rest of the sentence.

"-island? I don't blame you, especially with him around." Fortunately, the red echidna named Knuckles is out of earshot. "Anyway, I'll get outta your hair-" I look off to the distance to see nothing but the blue ocean and sunset. I wonder how that thing is going to work again. "See ya." Risa walks me to the edge and then sits at the bottom step of the altar to read some book. I did see her often coming out of the Mission Crib, my personal nickname for the place, and she always seemed like a business lady who had no time for fun. But she's not bad. "Okay, let's see if this thing works again."

I close my eyes and raise my head to the sky, letting the brisk, salty air whip my hair around. "Uck." I hate the smell of the ocean.

'

"Huh, I guess it worked. Didn't think I'd get lucky twice," I remark to myself as I crawl out from the tiny tunnel. Well that was all in vain, I didn't find out anything new information about those Chaos Emeralds. I should go back home-not my real one, obviously-that'll get me ready for another winter day.

I crawl under the sheets, not excited to sleep. Weird stuff happens to me whenever I fall asleep and it's creepy and freaky. But whenever I do, I don't know, I feel…stronger. I'm getting more experienced with my eye thingy with the missions that I get from Erick. If my parents could see me now, kicking ass all over the place-and Haruki too. He'd be really surprised to see me like this. I used to-"No, no, no-we're not getting nostalgic tonight," I tell myself firmly as I shut my eyes. "You're going to get good sleep, and you're going to get back to doing missions. Enough of this Chaos Emerald crap." The cars skidding in the streets and blares of the passing trucks lullaby me to blissful darkness.

The loud, dreary tone of an alarm clock wakes me up. With my hand, I slam the night table repeatedly until I finally reach the snooze button. "What…the hell?" I mumble groggily as I sit up. When my legs reach for the carpet, they dangle instead, like they used to at _home_ home-not Tokyo. After rubbing my eyes, I slide off the bed. "This has to be a dream. I'm not really here." I glance at the toy soldier and a princess doll reposing on the carpet and the three- year old drawings on the wall. Why am I here? What am I doing? I step over the toys to get to the window to see if it's all true. I open it and stick my head out.

Less than a mile away is a castle standing tall, with a crimson flag at the top swaying in the breeze. Not too far away, rhythmic-timed thunks stomp into the ground. That's all I need to tell me that this is just another dream. "I'm up!" a young girl announces behind me. I whip my head around and see the little girl climb out of the same bed I came from. Her brother on the top of the bunk bed climbs down to greet his sister.

"Me too!" The bedroom door opens and a woman with long, chocolate colored hair stands at the doorway wearing a rose nightgown. The children pick up their gender-associated toys, eager to play with them; they smile at the thirty-five year old woman.

"Good morning, my little munchkins," she says cheerily, pushing her bangs from her eyes. "Are you ready for breakfast yet?"

"Yeah!"

"Hm, that's what I thought. Let's go-drop the toys. You know no toys at breakfast," she points two fingers at the two kids. "Put them down." Nobody in the room seems to notice me. I'm like a wallflower on prom night.

"Aww fine," both children put the toys down and then follow their mother out of the room. I follow them out after staring out the window for five more minutes. The all-too familiar cracking and creaking under my feet evokes a strong nostalgic feeling as I shuffle down the hallway. When I enter the living room, I stop to gaze wistfully at the family dining in the next room.

"I tried something new today," says their dad to everyone in the room, excluding me. "Pancakes." The two children's eyes grow two times bigger.

"Pancakes?"

"Did you use my recipe?" asks the mom kindly. She lifts the piece to her mouth and tries it. "Hmm, not too bad, but definitely not like Mama's."

"You mean Gran'ma?"

"Yup."

"It's good Dad!" compliments the young boy.

"Yeah, really!" chimes the girl, filling her mouth with the pancakes. She starts singing, "Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes, pancakes…" This is making me sick. I exit through the front door, promptly hurrying down the steps and look towards the out-of-place castle that's not so far away. "Why did I see that? Oh why did I have to see that?" The perfect life that I once had-and the life that I'm never gonna have because of my stupid dad and because of the stupid Heartless and because of stupid everyone! It makes me wanna just scream and pound my fist into the ground like a gorilla but I'm a young lady. I can't do that kind of stuff anymore, even in a dream. Suppressing my nearly-overflowing emotions, I follow the sounds of marching until I reach the drawbridge of the surreal castle. "I wonder what that sound is." I turn behind me and spot two rows of tall black figures trooping towards the bridge. As they come closer, I can make out the guns over their shoulders, their navy blue uniforms, and some of their faces-the bright sun is blinding me. An army? I don't see their king or queen anywhere. "You're not allowed to look upon the castle, prisoner!" one of the soldiers barks. Astonished, I jump, afraid of his sudden rage.

"I'm a prisoner?" I ask in disbelief.

"Shut up!" a boy barks back irritably. His voice sounds dry and parched, but familiar in some way. One of the soldiers, with the butt of his gun, jabs the prisoner in the chest, who's in between the two lines of soldiers.

"Show silent respect prisoner."

"Not to you things. You aren't even real people-guuurh!" I can't make out his face his still. The prisoner falls to his knees and holds his sides. He coughs up blood heavily, which pisses off the other soldiers.

"Shut up," one of them rudely yanks the prisoner to his feet. "Keep walking until your feet bleed." Then, for less than a second, the sun dims down and I get a look at his mind-burning profile. I gasp and drop to my feet when the sun re-blinds me. The soldiers pay me no mind and bring the prisoner into the castle. I start to run across the bridge, calling out to the prisoner, "Wait! Stop! Hold the bridge-!" After the soldiers and all-too familiar prisoner get across the bridge, it abruptly cracks in half. The two broken halves of the bridge slope downward into a deep river. Everyone but me is aloof to the broken bridge. Frantically, I try to latch onto something-anything, but it's no use. I slide like a penguin into the cold, rushing river that turns into an empty abyss of nothingness.

I wake up gasping for air. Combing through my hair agitatedly with my sweaty fingers, I begin to sob into the pillow. Everything in that dream-my brother, my mom, my dad, and me. And the prisoner-I'm sure, I'm absolutely, positively sure that it _was_ Haruki.


	2. Chapter 2

"Do you have a mission for me today? Please tell me yes!"

"I never had someone who begged for work, that's quite amusing," comments Erick, sipping his hot chocolate. "You don't have a jack-"

"I had no time! Just give me some chip, some quest, something."

"If you insist," he places a pink chip on the desk. The heater behind him hisses and whines as the temperature of the room increases. "This one is of royalty, so I suggest you watch your tone and demeanor when you speak with her. Yes?"

"Yeah, yeah got it-wait, you said _royalty_?" That castle in my dream, it's real? Could it have been a vision or something? Now I'm psychic? Fuck yes. "What kind of royalty?"

"The queen will explain when you get there. Do remember to be genteel, as you always are."

"Okay I'm on-hey, was that sarcasm?"

"Ow, burned my tongue." I send him a glare before I rush out the door. That prisoner had to be Haruki. I mean, he might've looked different here and there, but my instincts tell me that he was definitely in my dream. But why was my house there? That part was a little random but irrelevant-the most important thing is finding Haruki right now.

'

Nighttime casts a gloomy darkness above my head. I can barely see anything, but that huge castle ahead of me is starting to become an eyesore. It looked a lot better and cleaner when I dreamt it-in reality it looks ruined. There are random blotches of black or brown spread all over and the bridge that broke in the dream; it's less than sturdy when I walk across it. Two guards standing outside the doorway obstruct my path inside.

"Turn around traveler," commands the frail-looking one. I take out the document that Erick gave me to give to them.

"Read it and you'll see I have business here," I say all business-like. "Punks." The zit faced guard next to frail one uses the torch above him as a light to read it. They scrutinize it for a minute and then apathetically look back at me.

"Enter. If we hear anything out of the ordinary, you shall receive no mercy."

"Yeah ok, that's great and all, but did you escort a prisoner into the castle sometime…last night? Morning? Day?"

"We don't answer questions. Just go in."

"Alright, alright," I hurry inside. "Sheesh, what's up their panties?" Paying no mind to the exquisite and opulent décor of the grand hallway, I run to the throne room. I figure it's the throne since the door is covered with a beautiful painting of a celestial woman. I shove the doors open-it took some effort because they're really heavy- and rush into the throne room. I step on soft, yellow carpet with dryy black blotches and look up at the dome ceiling for a second and then at the throne itself. A tall woman with back-length the color of mint wearing an ornate, overzealously bejeweled crown-ugh I don't have the time to study the décor of her crown. Haruki's on my mind.

"State your purpose here girl," she commands proudly. _I'm here to rescue my brother from your clutches._ "Are you not going to bow? Am I like the common folk?" Something about her smile feels shadowy and wrong, but I hold my tongue.

"Oh, of course you aren't," I get on my knee, remembering what I learned about the hierarchy pyramid from school. "You have asked my boss for a request?"

"Erick McGraw?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." I nearly gag. I hate saying shit like that to people-they're no better than me. If I lived in this world, I would have been guillotined at a young age for treason against Queeny here. She rises from her throne and forces the guards standing in front of the steps to exit the room.

"Go on, go! I need to speak to her privately." They stiffly curtsy and shut the door behind them. "Ah yes, Sir McGraw said that I can ask anything of his slave, is that correct?"

"I'm not anyone's slave," I snap, then remember manners. "Uh, Your Majesty."

"Ah, but for today you are to be or else you can receive no compensation," she retorts teasingly. She continues in a low voice, "As a grieving widow, I fear that many of the common folk think they can do whatever they please, including attacking me and this castle. I need you to strike fear into the hearts of the men, women, and children that live in the nearby town. _Make them fear me_."

"Oh, getting a little Machiavelli-like aren't we?" I mutter under my breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Please continue Your Majesty."

"I have given you your command. Now hurry, move through the shadows so that you are not spotted."

"Wait, Your Majesty. I need a favor from you."

"You dare ask for a favor without completing my command first. You are an insolent girl that Sir McGraw has sent me."

"I just need to know, did you spot a prisoner enter this castle sometime yesterday?" This Machiavelli queen might be insane, but she should have some decency to help me out a little. "A boy."

"I refuse to answer such a question until you have fulfilled your duty to me," she brushes me off briskly. Even though her eyes are the color of ambers, there is nothing warm or beautiful about them.

"And I don't have to a single thing for you if you don't answer my question!" At that moment, the doors open and two guards hurry over to me. The queen's face turns red and hot like magma.

"Your Majesty, I can sense hostility here, shall I have her removed?"

"Yes, just take her," orders the queen exasperatedly, dropping to her firm throne like a puppet missing strings. "I don't feel like myself." The guards bow before "politely" escorting out of the throne room. For a second, I swear that Queeny's body radiated an ebony glow just as the doors closed.

"Are you going to point me in the direction of the dungeon?" There's a possibility that _he_ might be down there. I'm going down there, whether any of these people like it or not. The guards exchange apathetical glances.

"The queen wanted you removed," the taller one states matter-of-factly. "She said nothing about locking you in the dungeon."

"Of course she didn't! She wants me to interrogate and terrorize the prisoner you guys captured yesterday," I reply condescendingly with my hands on my hip. The other guard shakes his head at me and jabs my chest.

"I specifically heard the queen mention striking fear into the hearts of-"

"_Prisoners_, you silly fool," I playfully correct him. "Starting with the new one. Unless you're forbidding me from doing the Queen's command-I'll let her know that it was you two who got in my way and wouldn't let me complete the mission I've been sent here to do." I head towards the door, but the tall one snatches my wrist.

"Wait, wait. Her Majesty is very tense right now and she wouldn't want to hear that. The dungeon is below the left hallway, alright? We'll escort you down." Damn, that's not what I need right now. I can't have them following me. I stroke hair from the forehead down; I've got to think of doing something else.

"Thank you ever so kindly gentlemen, but I merely need the key to the new prisoner's cell," I request with my sweaty palm out. They stare at me suspiciously.

"The queen would never-!"

"Your Majesty!" I call out, opening the door and ignoring the guards' frightened expressions. "Your guards are being obstacles in my mission. They don't want me to harm anyone!" Queeney's voice echoes sickly and agitatedly off the hollow hallway.

"You give her whatever she needs or so help me, I will do more than remove you from this castle," she warns in an exhausted tone. Despite the bullshit in her tone, the guards take her threat seriously and drop the antique key into my palm. I walk into the Left Hall until the guards leave my sight, then I run. Finding him is all that really matters to me-not this castle, not what that queen wants-just Haruki and only him. I've been through enough suffering and maybe he has too. We were practically inseparable when we were little.

Before pulling open the dungeon trapdoor, I grab a flaming torch off the wall and use it to navigate myself through the darkness. Mice squeak and scamper as I swing the key's ring with my finger. As I look into each of the cells, I can see nothing but dead, rotting bodies that the rats and maggots are digging into. "Just find Haruki and get out of here before I project vomit everywhere." I disappointedly whisper, "still nothing" as I travel further down the hall. "Haruki? Haruki, answer me! It's your sister, Mizuki." He _has_ to answer because he _has_ to be down here. What am I going to do if he's really not here-do that queen's weird request of striking fear into the hearts of common people?

"Mi-Mizuki?" a parched, feeble voice mutters. "Are you…? Mi…zu…Mizuki?" The same voice of the boy in my dream-yes! I follow the voice to the penultimate cell, and bend down to see examine the boy with his unkempt face pressed against the cold bars. "Is that you?"

"Yes, yes! Haruki, I-I can't believe it's you!" I exclaim, almost dropping the torch. "After all these years, you're actually here!"

"Mi…zuki?"

"Yes! I'm here, I'm here! And I'm not going to let anything tear us apart again!" I stick the key in the keyhole and turn until the door swings open with a loud creak. "Can you walk? I need to get you outta here fast." I bend down and throw his arm over my shoulder. "We're leaving now, okay? We're gonna get back home, and talk about a lot of stuff." He doesn't say a word-he simply sighs. Poor kid, he's probably hungry, tired, thirsty, and everything in between. "Haruki?"

"This place…inhabited…monsters of-darkness. Those without hearts-darkness," mutters Haruki incoherently. "Stop."

"Why, what's the matter?"

"This was not your order, disobient girl," hisses the familiar voice. "You're not to help prisoners who tried to assassinate me." The queen blocks the exit with four guards behind her. All their eyes are amber-colored; purple aura collects around their eyes like a severe eye infection.

**Don't forget the les reviews!**


End file.
